Sins of the Father
by quiet-heart
Summary: Gibbs and team have a dead Navy commander on their hands. To complicate matters, they have an angry wife, a father who wouldn't believe his son was less than perfect, and a whole slew of people who have every reason to want the commander dead, as Gibbs finds out that the rising star commander had more than a few secrets of his own.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"What do we got?" Gibbs asked.

"Meet Commander Michael Lavery," Torres said. "Looks like someone was not too happy with him."

"Multiple stab wounds," Palmer said, studying the waterlogged body. "Clustered in the chest area. Someone was mad."

"Someone always is," Gibbs said.

"How was Mac?" McGee asked quietly.

"Doing good." Gibbs had just come from visiting a former withess of theirs, one who had helped them solve the murder of a retired Navy admiral, and was now happily married to the admiral's grandson. The team had attended the wedding, which had been at a courthouse, and surprised the couple by springing for lunch at a really nice restaurant.

"Good. I'm glad. She deserves a chance to be happy," McGee said.

"Let's find out who this guy made very unhappy."

Commander Michael Lavery had been found when his submerged sedan had been spotted by an eagle-eyed bird watcher, and according to Dr. Jimmy Palmer, he had been there for at least a week. When a tow truck driver had pulled the car out, Commander Lavery's body had been found in the back of the car, his body wrapped in a bed spread. His wallet, which had been in the back of his pants, was what lead the local police to contact NCIS. Now, he was laid out on the ground, being examined by the team.

"No self-defence wounds," Palmer said, looking at the arms. "Nick, can you please help me turn him over?"

Grimacing, as the smell from the body was a bit strong, Torres did so, and Palmer grinned. "Stab wounds in the back, and there's one here that looks like it has a bruise around it."

"He was stabbed in the back, literally," Torres said, wrinkling his nose.

"Which could explain the lack of self-defence wounds. If he was attacked from behind, and brought down to the ground, he wouldn't have been able to defend himself," Palmer said. "And then, at some point, he rolled over, and the attack continued. Like I said, someone was mad."

"Could have been with someone," Torres said. "Has to be a reason why he's only wearing his pants."

"Anything in the car?" Gibbs asked.

"Found his briefcase in the trunk of the car," Bishop said, holding up a nice-looking briefcase. "Hopefully the water didn't get into it too much. Could be why he was killed."

"Cell phone?" Gibbs asked.

McGee held up what looked like a badly broken cell phone. "Someone smashed it pretty good, but they may have forgotten to take out the SIM card. I'll turn it over to Kasie, see what she can do with it when we get back."

"Thanks to the water, I think that's about all we're going to get from the car," Bishop said. "It didn't even have a GPS device in it, so we have no idea where he's been or where he was going."

"And this place is a bit off the beaten track, so anyone could have dumped him without being seen," Torres said. "Probably why the killer chose it."

"Kasie might have some luck with the bedspread he was wrapped in, though," Palmer said, working with Torres to load the victim up. "If he was with someone, with the way he was wrapped up, something might have been preserved, especially if it was close to the body."

"Thought DNA was useless once it was in the water, being washed off and all that?" Torres said.

"Not necessarily so," Palmer said. "It depends on the conditions, the water, temperatures, a whole lot of different variables. There was an article I found in NCBI about it. Interesting reading material."

"NCBI?" Torres asked.

"National Center for Biotechnology Information," McGee explained. "Abby used to check that site out a lot, because there was always something new being posted. Plus, she contributed a few articles."

"All right, let's get everything back to the lab and start digging into this guy's life. I want to know who he pissed off," Gibbs said.

Back at NCIS, the team dug into their work.

"Okay, meet Commander Michael Lavery, JAG," Bishop said. "He's been with them from pretty much the get-go, and comments from his superiors initially suggested a rising star."

"But?" Gibbs asked.

"But his latest eval report makes note of complaints that have been filed against him by other officers in regards to his verbal behavior, especially towards the junior officers, and his unwillingness to be a real team player," Bishop said. "In fact, it was suggested that if he kept up his behaviour, he might be passed over for promotion."

"Oof," McGee said.

"I have a copy of his recent psychological exam," Bishop said.

"Send that to Sloane, have her take a look at him," Gibbs said.

"Sending, and sent," Bishop said.

"Phone, bank accounts, credit cards?" Gibbs asked.

"Credit card showed a charge two days ago, a delivery charge from Jimmy John's," McGee said. "Which matches a call on the commander's cell phone." McGee's brow furrowed as he scrolled through the phone's call history. "I'm seeing several strange texts, especially one from two days ago. And one which might explain why no one has reported him missing." He tapped his keyboard and sent a screenshot of a text message. " _Got called out to a case. Will be out of town for several days._ " The reply was, " _Fine_."

"Who does that number belong to?" Gibbs asked.

"His wife, Ami Lavery," McGee said, pulling up a DMV photo of a smiling woman. "Could explain why she never filed a missing person's report."

"Here's the other odd ones," McGee said. " _I need to see you. I'll even cover the room_. Then Commander Lavery responds, _Fine. I'll buy lunch_."

Torres hung up his phone. "And I have a location as to where the food was delivered," he said. "It's a hotel about fifteen minutes from where the car was found."

"Torres, you and Bishop, go check it out," Gibbs said. His phone rang. It was security, telling him that Commander Lavery's parents were on their way up. "McGee, keep digging. Sloane and I will deal with the parents."

"Should we tell Commander Avery's wife?" Torres asked.

Gibbs nodded. "Keep me posted, and find out why she didn't hear about this sooner."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

" _Hey guys, I did some more digging on Ami Lavery_ ," McGee said over Bishop's phone. " _She works for a construction company by the name of Weebly and Co. The company wouldn't confirm or deny she works for them, or tell me where she is, and I can't ping her phone without a warrant. And something interesting; she's a Journeyman Electrician_."

"And Commander Lavery was stabbed with something sharp and pointy," Bishop said, seeing where McGee was going.

" _Exactly. I'm running the cell phone listed to her name, but I'm not seeing anything suspicious, other than the fact that it was her that did receive that text from Commander Lavery's phone_."

"Anything else?" Torres asked.

" _Yeah, for a husband and wife they don't talk very much,_ " McGee said. " _From what I'm seeing, the number of texts between them drops off a lot in the first month. Same with the calls_."

"Something happened during that time," Bishop guessed.

"How long have they been married?" Torres asked.

" _About six months. I checked for Facebook pages, and I found Ami's page, and it's the same thing all over again. First month, the wedding, the dating between them, that's all there. After that, it's pretty much non-existent. No pictures of them together, no mention, nothing. Her work and her hobbies become forefront. She had her birthday two months ago, and there's plenty of well-wishes from everyone, including Commander Lavery's brother, Corporal David Lavery, but nothing from the commander himself. She's also a big Minnie Mouse fan_."

"What are her hobbies?" Bishop asked, curious.

" _She makes industrial pipe lamps, for starters, and some of them are really nice,_ " McGee said. " _She also does volunteer work at various shelters, providing free labour for any electrical work they need done_."

"Nice," Torres said.

"Does Commander Lavery have a Facebook page?" Bishop asked.

" _Not that I can see_ ," McGee said.

"Okay, well, we're about to pull up to the hotel, so keep us posted," Torres said.

" _Will do._ "

As Torres and Bishop went inside the hotel, Bishop quickly went to Facebook and found Ami Lavery's page. "Wow, those are some really nice lamps she's done," she said, showing Torres one. "And she's got a Marketplace link."

"And?"

"And yes, I would," Bishop muttered, spotting a floor lamp for about fifty dollars. She was already mentally checking her bank account.

Inside, the manager raised an eyebrow when he saw them and their badges. "Who did what?" he grumped.

"This guy, Commander Lavery, accepted a delivery here two days ago," Torres said, showing him a picture of the commander.

"Didn't see him," the manager said, shaking his head.

"Okay, so who did you rent Room 114 out to?" Bishop asked.

The manager pulled a book towards him and checked what was written inside. "Some guy by the name of Davey Jones. Paid by credit card. Had to charge him extra because of the mess he left in the room," the manager said.

"Mess?" Bishop said.

"Don't know what he did, but it looked like he'd spilled wine or something all over the carpet. Had to pull the carpet out just to get it cleaned," the manager grumbled.

"Where's the carpet now?" Torres asked.

"In the bin out back. Even took the blankets and the sheets," the manager grumped. "Those things ain't easy to replace."

Torres and Bishop shared a dry look. "Since he paid by credit card, do you still have the slip?" Bishop asked.

"I'll check," the manager grumped.

"And I'll check that garbage bin," Torres said, heading outside to find the garbage bin.

"What about cameras?" Bishop asked, once the manager came back with a plastic envelope.

"I'll check," a young man offered, joining them. "I'm Pete," he said, by way of introduction.

"Nice to meet you, Pete," Bishop said, following the young man to the back. "Do you remember seeing this guy here, about two days ago?" she asked, showing him Commander Lavery's picture.

"Sure. Dad doesn't pay much attention, but he's a frequent flyer. Always here with some other guy," Pete said. He sat down at a desk with a monitor and started working the cameras and recorders. "Okay, here we go," he said, after a moment. He cringed. "Not a really good angle, I'm afraid. I've been nagging at Dad to move the camera for a better angle, but he likes technology about as much as I like old time rock and roll."

All they could see was a man with a dark baseball cap and dark clothes, paying and signing for the room.

"Okay, he didn't use gloves, so we might have prints on that paper," Bishop said. "I need a copy of that, please. Do you have any outside cameras?"

"We do, but the quality isn't any better," Pete said, "and one of the cameras was damaged two days ago. I'm not sure, but it looks like someone pulled it down or something. The camera didn't see who."

"But it might show someone before that," Bishop pointed out.

"True." Pete quickly copied the video for Bishop, and while he was doing that, Bishop grabbed their evidence collecting case from the car and sealed the credit card slip. In the back, Bishop found Torres hauling out a lot of garbage and grumbling.

"You find anything?" she asked, grinning at his obvious discomfort.

"Yeah, a hell of a lot of garbage, and a carpet that Kasie is going to have a field day with," Torres grumbled, pointing to a rolled up chunk of carpet. "I found a lotta blood on it, soaked right through."

"Anything else?" Bishop asked.

He pointed to another bag. "Yeah, sheets and bloody towels. Looks like the killer tried to clean up the carpet but when he or she realized that it wasn't going to work, just abandoned the job for the manager to clean up. And in that bag are the remains of stuff from Jimmy John's and, urgh, used condoms."

"You're right; Kasie is going to have a field day," Bishop said. "We need to get her down her and have her take a look at Room 114, see if maybe there are other biologicals and prints." She pulled out her phone and dialed.

Back at NCIS, Gibbs and Sloane were having an interesting conversation with Commander Lavery's parents, retired Captain Lavery and his wife, Sarah, in one of the conference rooms.

"We're sorry for your loss," Gibbs said.

"Thank you," Captain Lavery said. "Do you know who hurt my son? And why?" he demanded.

"We were hoping you might," Gibbs said.

"Nobody," Captain Lavery said, shaking his head vehemently. "Nobody would have hurt my son. He was a good son, a good officer."

"What about a good husband?" Sloane asked.

"He was a good man," Captain Lavery said firmly. "If anyone would have hurt him, it would have been his wife. I always said she was no good for him, wouldn't listen to him. Tried to tell me she was an electrician, but women don't belong in the trades. It's a man's job."

Sloane stared at him, and so did Gibbs, with Gibbs fiddling with his pen. "What about any of the cases Commander Lavery may have worked on?" Gibbs asked.

"Talk to JAG. Those fools told him he was going to be passed over for a promotion if he didn't clean up his act, but they were wrong. My son was a good man, a good lawyer. Those idiots over there didn't recognize greatness when they saw it," Captain Lavery snapped.

Sloane saw the long-suffering look on Sarah Lavery's face, and made a decision. "Ma'am, the coffee here isn't really that good. Perhaps I could offer you some tea from my office?" she asked.

"Do you have any looseleaf?" Sarah asked, standing up.

"I do. Could I interest you in some strawberry white tea?" Sloane asked, also standing up.

"Health food crap," Captain Lavery grumbled, as the two women left the room. "In my day, men drank coffee, real coffee, not that decaffeinated fancy stuff they sell in those overpriced coffee stores."

Outside the room, Sarah sighed heavily. "Thank you," she said, as she followed Sloane to her office.

"Are you okay?" Sloane asked kindly. "Losing your son like that, I would imagine that's quite a shock."

"It is, but I'm afraid I was expecting it," Sarah said, taking the seat Sloane offered her at the couch.

"That doesn't sound good," Sloane said, bustling about her office to make a pot of tea for them.

"Charles will try and tell you that MIchael was a god who walked on water, but as his mother, I knew otherwise," Sarah said. "Michael hurt a lot of people, including Ami and David, and I'm ashamed to say I did nothing. The only thing I could do, and perhaps it was for the best, was convince David to join the Army, instead of the Marines, so he wouldn't have to constantly compete with his brother."

"Was the sibling rivalry that bad?" Sloane asked.

"Charles idolized Michael, put him on a pedestal the day he was born, and Michael wasn't willing to share that spot with anyone, not even his brother," Sarah admitted. "I saw evidence of Michael's cruelty, towards other women, junior officers, anyone he felt was beneath him."

"What about Ami? From what we're seeing, their marriage was pretty good for the first month, and then something happened," Sloane said.

"Those two should have never gotten married," Sarah said, "but Charles kept harping on about Michael settling down and having children, and Ami, well, she was taken by him, but yes, I think something happened about a month after the wedding. Ami is a wonder person, generous with her time, but she's got a rough past. She never talks about her own family, and other than a few co-workers and her mother, there was none of her own family at the wedding."

"Wow."

"Do you know I admire her? We were having issues in our garage, wiring problems, and when she overheard Charles and Michael talking about it, she offered to help cut costs by taking a look at the problem and helping us figure out what to do. Charles told her they would hire a 'real' electrician, but I spoke to her later, and found out the truth, that she was a good Journeyman Electrician and serious about her offer."

"Did you take her up on it?"

"I did. She came in when Charles was gone, and told me, in terms I could understand, what was wrong and what needed to be done to fix the problem," Sarah said, accepting the cup Sloane handed her. "She then said that if we covered the cost of the materials, she would take care of the problem, which was simple enough, just a bit time-consuming." Sarah smiled. "That was how I got to know my daughter-in-law. Did you know she volunteers her time at various animal shelters, helping them make repairs and upgrades? She even volunteered at a couple of the women's and veterans shelters, making sure their electrical needs were being met."

"Did she say anything about her and Michael?" Sloane asked.

"When I asked, she said that Michael was busy with his career. But then she asked me if I knew Michael was gay, and I said I had suspected it for quite some time."

"Commander Lavery was gay? Did Captain Lavery know?" Sloane asked.

"Charles doesn't believe real men can be gay, and any man who was gay should be ashamed of themselves, because a real man should be able to sleep with a woman, or he isn't a real man at all," Sarah explained.

"That could lead to problems," Sloane said.

"I think it did," Sarah admitted.

"Do you think he was having an affair?" Sloane asked.

"It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. What Michael wanted, Michael got, even if it meant trampling over everyone else," Sarah said.

Back in the conference room, Gibbs was dealing with a very angry father.

"My son was not having an affair! That woman of his was! My son would never do that!" Captain Lavery yelled, slamming his fists down on the table. He had just been asked about the possibility of Commander Lavery having an affair.

"We have evidence that says otherwise," Gibbs said calmly.

"Then your evidence is wrong!" Captain Lavery yelled. "Someone falsified your so-called evidence in an attempt to slander my son! My son was a good man!"

"Sir-"

"No! I won't listen to this!" Captain Lavery yelled. "I won't! And if you keep this up, I will be giving your CO a good talking to! I won't let you slander my son! He was better than you, better than all you Navy cops!"

That was when Gibbs decided to end the meeting. "Thank you for coming in, sir. An agent will escort you out."

"Not without my wife! If I hear about you slandering my son again, you will be dealing with my lawyer!" Captain Lavery snarled, watching as Gibbs left the room.

Outside, McGee was waiting for him. "Wow," he said.

"Yeah. Whatcha got?"

"Just heard back from Bishop and Torres. They found the crime scene and we need to send Kasie out there."

"Good. Have an agent escort him out, preferably with earplugs," Gibbs grumbled, going to find Sloane. Hopefully things went a bit better for her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sarah Lavery knew how to reach Ami, and, with Sloane, McGee, and Gibbs listening in, called the other woman.

" _Hey Sarah, what's up?_ " a gentle female voice asked when she answered the phone.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news about Michael," Sarah said.

There was silence for a moment, then Ami asked, " _Who'd he piss off this time?_ "

Sloane, Gibbs, and McGee's eyes went wide. Sarah just gave a watery chuckle. "I don't know, sweetie, but NCIS is investigating. They need to talk to you."

" _Of course they do_ ," Ami said sarcastically. She sighed heavily. " _All right, well, I'm at a job site right now, and I will be for a few more hours. If you see them before I do, tell them to call me and leave a message._ "

"I will," Sarah said.

" _And Sarah? I'm sorry for your loss_ ," Ami said.

"So am I, sweetie, for both of us." And both women hung up.

"Wow," McGee said.

"Like I said, something happened about a month after the wedding, but Ami never told me what. She's a very private person," Sarah said. "Whenever Michael was around, she was pushed into the woodworks, and she and I didn't spend as much time together as I would have liked. Be gentle with her. She may appear to be tough and cold on the outside, but the truth is, I think Michael hurt her very badly, and I think something happened in her past."

"Of course," Sloane said.

"Your husband is waiting for you downstairs," Gibbs said.

"And I shall go do my dutiful duties as a wife of a respected, retired Navy captain," Sarah said. She smiled softly. "If there's anything you need, please let me know. You may find me easier to deal with than my husband."

"I already did," Gibbs muttered as Sarah left the room. "Let's go catch up with the others."

On the way, McGee let Torres and Bishop know that Ami had been notified and the conversation between her and Sarah.

"Wow," Bishop said.

" _Yeah. We've been advised that if we do approach her, and sooner or later, we're going to have to, play nice. She may act tough, but Sarah figures Ami's been hurt real bad and does the tough act to protect herself_ ," McGee said.

"Been there, done that," Torres said.

" _Gibbs left a message, so we'll see what happens,_ " McGee said. " _And as soon as we get back, we start running her phone._ "

"Understood," Torres said.

In Room 114, Kasie and the team got to work.

"Fortunately Housekeeping missed a few spots, and Pete, the manager's son, says they haven't rented this room out since Commander Lavery was here," Bishop told Gibbs.

"We get any prints?" Gibbs asked.

"Found some on the light switch in the bathroom and on the toilet handle, but the main room light switch was wiped down. I'm thinking the killer panicked," McGee said. "Carpet's been replaced, so nothing new, but we did get the old one."

"And from the amount of blood on it, Commander Lavery was definitely killed in here," Torres said. "Also, check this out." He turned on the t.v., which was in front of the bed, and blood spatter suddenly became visible on the screen. "The table is over here. Commander Lavery and his companion, or lover were eating here, then something happened, and the commander wound up down on the floor, being attacked by his lover."

"Makes sense," Bishop said. "And if the commander's car was parked nearby, and the camera disabled, it wouldn't have taken much to move the body."

"Would have been quite a walk back for whoever dumped the body, though," McGee said.

"And don't even ask the manager about identifying any cars in the parking lot because, according to him, he doesn't get paid enough to care," Bishop said.

"Of course," Gibbs said.

In the end, they got blood spatter, some prints, the garbage, the carpet, the blankets, the credit card slip, and the video from the cameras.

"We are going to have some major fun," Kasie said, grinning broadly.

"Have you seen the size of the carpet?" Torres asked, jerking his thumb at the rolled up carpet. "We are talking about a cheap-ass hotel." He grinned at her. "I don't even want to think about what's crawling in there."

Kasie's face dropped. "I hate you." And she walked away, shivering in disgust, leaving Torres to snicker.

Gibbs looked at him and said, "And you get to help her."

Torres face dropped. "Can I wear a biohazard suit?"

Back at NCIS, Ami finally replied to the message Gibbs had left, agreeing to meet them at NCIS.

She was not a tall woman, but she was well-built, and judging by the burn mark scars on her hands, she was not a stranger to hard work. Her jeans and her shirt were well-worn, and she wore no makeup or jewelry, other than a little diamond pendant that looked possibly like Minnie Mouse, that just peeked out of the collar of her shirt.

"What do you want from me, Agent Gibbs?" she asked, accepting the coffee he handed her.

"First, we're sorry for your loss," Bishop said.

"Don't be. Despite what Daddy Dearest might tell you, Michael was a lying, manipulative, selfish son of a bitch," Ami said, "and frankly, I'm surprised someone didn't try and kill him sooner."

"If your relationship was that bad, why didn't you leave?" Gibbs asked.

"Because I had nowhere to go, and in case you didn't notice, Michael was a lawyer, and when I demanded a divorce, he threatened to run me into the ground. I would have come across as the most selfish, self-centered bitch ever, possibly screwing around on him, and I would have likely wound up paying him alimony, or whatever it was he demanded," Ami explained. "He would have made sure I lost everything, including my name and my reputation in the trades, and without my trade, I have nothing."

"So what did you do?" Gibbs asked.

"We basically maintained separate bedrooms and separate lives, and i stayed as far away from him and the captain as I could," Ami said. "He didn't care what I did, as long as I didn't step into his precious spotlight."

"Did you know he was having an affair?" Bishop asked.

"Yes. Did I care? Yes. Could I do anything about it? No. He held all the damn cards," Ami said bitterly. "Even the damn house was in his name. The only thing that was mine was my truck, which he hated, but couldn't do anything about because I paid for it, and I had the paperwork to prove it."

"Where were you two days ago?" Gibbs asked.

"I was at a job site from eight am to about six pm," Ami said. "Like I have been for about the past month. If you want witnesses, ask any of the dozen guys I've been working with. Not that I care."

"You don't really seem to care that your husband is dead," Gibbs said. "Now that he's dead, you don't have to live with someone you hate, or worry about a costly divorce. Real convenient."

As Gibbs watched, Ami's eyes turned hard and cold.

"You're right, Agent Gibbs, I really don't care that Michael is dead. Why should I? I was two days away from serving him divorce papers," Ami said. "and yes, I hated him. I admit, I have done a lot of things I'm not proud of, but the one thing I did not do was kill Michael. As far as I'm concerned, that was merciful compared to what I was going to do to him if he didn't give me my divorce on my terms."

"I thought you said he had you by your neck in terms of getting a divorce," Gibbs said.

Ami smiled coldly. "Thanks to that asshole, I learned a few things about playing dirty. He didn't want Daddy Dearest or his so-called friends knowing he was gay and that his marriage was less than perfect."

"You were going to threaten him with that knowledge," Bishop said.

"And I had proof," Ami said. "The kind of proof judges really like."

"We'd like to see that proof," Gibbs said. "Might help us find a suspect."

"You want that, you talk to my lawyer." She reached into the back of her jeans and pulled out her cellphone, which had a heavy-duty cover on it. Thumbing through it, she found what she was looking for, before writing down a number on Gibbs' notepad. Then she stood up, tugging her battered denim Minnie Mouse hat on her head sharply. She then planted her hands on the table and leaned forward. "Word of warning; if you come after me, thinking I'm a suspect in Michael's murder, you will not like my lawyer. Also, if that sonovabitch of a captain comes after me, which I think he will, I. Will. Bury. Him."

"Would you like to see his body?" Bishop asked, as Ami straightened up.

Ami laughed bitterly. "I didn't want to see him when he was alive. Why the hell would I want to see him now? Besides, I might be too tempted to put something sharp through his chest, just to make sure he's really dead." She smiled nastily. "Just out of curiosity, when the medical examiner cracked open his chest, did they find an actual heart, or a block of ice? Or maybe even a piece of metal where his damned heart should have been?"

After Ami was escorted out of the room, Bishop looked at Gibbs, eyes wide.

"That is one angry woman," she said.

"A scorned woman is a pissed woman," Gibbs said. "No telling what she'll do."

"Still a suspect?"

"Until we find one better," Gibbs said.

"Did she at least tell us who her lawyer was?" Bishop asked.

Gibbs picked up his phone and dialed a very familiar-looking number. After two rings, someone answered.

" _Chegwidden,_ " a male voice said.

Gibbs eyebrows shot up. "It's Gibbs," he said. "Is one of your clients Ami 'with an I' Lavery, wife to Commander Michael Lavery, JAG?" he asked.

" _How the hell do you know?_ " Chegwidden asked, clearly shocked.

"Because Commander Lavery is dead, and she just finished telling us that if we want a suspect other than her, to talk to her lawyer, which just happens to be you," Gibbs said.

Chegwidden went silent for a moment. Then he said, " _You know about attorney-client privilege, right?_ "

"I do."

" _Let me talk to my client, and see what she says, and I'll get back to you. Be warned, Gibbs, we may be friends, but Ami Lavery is my client, and I will defend her accordingly,_ " Chegwidden said, before hanging up.

Gibbs snapped his phone shut. "A.J. Chegwidden," he said.

"Chegwidden is Ami's lawyer?" Bishop asked, eyes wide. "We're either really screwed, or we're about to get really lucky."

"Rule 13; never, ever involve lawyers," Gibbs said.

"Right," Bishop said.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Palmer had finished his autopsy. "Six stab wounds in the back, all puncturing the lungs," he said. "I think this one was the first hit because of the bruise," he continued, pointing to a circular bruise that surrounded a stab wound. "There were carpet burn marks on his hands, which says he was hit in the back, he went down, and the attack continued," Palmer said, demonstrating.

"What about the ones in the front? How'd he get those?" Gibbs asked.

"Found a bruise on his elbow, consistent with hitting someone or something, possibly his attacker," Palmer said, pointing to the commander's bruised elbow.

"So he manages to get his attacker off enough to hit him with his elbow, then roll over," Gibbs said.

"And the attack continued. Based on the stab patterns, I'm saying frenzy," Palmer said. "This person was mad. And whoever it was, Commander Lavery had no issues with turning his back to this person." He pointed to the stab wound on the commander's neck. "I counted fourteen stab wounds. This was the fatal one. It hit his carotid artery and he would have bleed to death within minutes. The blood on his hands say he died holding his neck. I also scraped his nails and sent that up to Kasie. We might get lucky."

"What about signs of sexual activity?"

"I did find traces of condom lubricant on him," Palmer said, nodding. "And I did find a stray pubic hair, again sent up to Kasie. Did you meet the wife?"

"One very angry lady," Gibbs said.

"Understandable," Palmer said.

"Any idea what he was stabbed with?" Gibbs asked.

"Something with a serrated edge on one side, and no handle," Palmer said. "I made some impressions of the wound and sent them up to Kasie. From what I hear, she has her hands full."

Gibbs grunted. "Should have see the size of the carpet we brought back."

"I did. Should have heard the foul words she was using," Palmer said, grinning. "And Torres."

"Shouldn't have threatened to tease Kasie about it," Gibbs shot back, walking out of the room.

"Been running Ami Lavery's cell phone, boss," McGee said, as Gibbs strode back in, coffee in hand. Torres was still busy helping Kasie process the carpet.

"And?"

"And starting three months ago, she started exchanging a lot of texts and phone calls to a number that the cell towers are saying it's in the same area as Fort McNair, which just happens to be where Corporal Lavery is posted," McGee said.

"How much is a lot?" Gibbs asked.

McGee threw an image on the plasma and highlighted certain numbers. "Both too, and from, started as a trickle with a few calls and texts every other day or so, then became daily, and the texts look like almost every other hour or so, especially during what looks like Ami's lunch break," McGee said. "I ran her credit cards and didn't see anything unusual, and I'm still trying to find her bank accounts, seeing as how both she and Commander Lavery had separate accounts, and his bank has no record of her."

"Is it possible that Commander Lavery wasn't the only one having an affair?" Bishop asked. "I ran Corporal Lavery, and he's got a clean record. He's also a Carpentry and Masonry Specialist. That means lots of sharp tools," Bishop said. "If he was having an affair with Ami Lavery, maybe he got tired of his brother having legal claim to what he wanted, and decided to remove him from the picture."

"Find out," Gibbs said.

The elevator dinged, and Gibbs glanced up automatically. Then his eyes went a bit wide. It was A.J. Chegwidden, and he had a briefcase with him.

"I spoke to Ami, who told me what was going on," he said, cutting to the chase. "Or at least what she knew."

"And?" Gibbs asked.

Chegwidden put his briefcase on McGee's desk and popped it open. He then removed a file, which he handed Gibbs.

"And Commander Lavery is an asshole, one I would have loved to take down a few pegs," Chegwidden said, snapping his briefcase shut. "According to the private detective I'd hired, that sorry excuse of an officer was not only having affairs with other men before he'd gotten married, he'd never stopped."

Gibbs flipped the file open and found dozens of pictures of Commander Lavery with various men in rather intimate positions. Bishop joined him, looking at the pictures.

"This guy's a regular manhoe," she said.

"If that's the male equivalent of a guy who cats around, then yes, Commander Lavery was a manhoe," Chegwidden said.

"Anyone recent?" Gibbs asked.

"Check this guy out," Chegwidden said, pulling out a photo of a man with dark hair. "Unfortunately my private detective couldn't get a decent enough shot of him without getting caught, but he did get a license plate, which I haven't had time to run."

He smiled and tapped a piece of paper with a license number on it.

"McGee?" Gibbs said, handing him the paper.

"Running. Got. And dead end," McGee said. "It's a fleet truck from an insurance adjuster."

"An insurance adjuster? How the hell would Commander Lavery cross paths with an insurance adjuster?" Chegwidden asked.

"Why don't we ask the current JAG director?" Bishop asked. "He should know what cases the commander was working on."

McGee grinned. "Think we can pick on Bud again?"

"Bud Roberts?" Chegwidden asked.

"One and the same," McGee said. "He's the commanding officer at the Regional Legal Service Mid-Atlantic at Norfolk, these days."

"Good for him. He and Harriet still married?" Chegwidden asked.

"Far as we know," McGee said.

"Call him, and the JAG director," Gibbs said. "What else did Ami have to say?"

"She said to tell you about what she wanted from the divorce," Chegwidden said.

"Which is?" Gibbs asked.

"Her freedom, no alimony payments from either side, and a written promise that he would stay away from her and not harass, slander, or otherwise cause trouble for her, be it as a person or her reputation in the trades, as a Journeyman Electrician," Chegwidden said. "She didn't even want the house. Basically, get the hell out of her life, both personally and professionally, and stay out."

"Or?" Gibbs asked.

"Or all these pictures would find their way into the hands of the general public, and everyone, including Captain Lavery, would find out just what kind of a man he really was, especially since I recognize the uniform of one of these men," Chegwidden said, tapping one photo. "He's a junior, and a senior officer messing around with a junior officer is still a big no-no."

McGee whistled. "That would do a number to his reputation," he said.

"And according to what some little birdies were telling me, he is not popular with either junior officers or officers of his rank," Chegwidden said. "Over the last four months, his behaviour has gotten worse, and he's had numerous complaints laid against him by other officers about his behaviour, in and out of the courtroom."

"Anyone particularly pissed at him?" Gibbs asked.

"One fellow that I know of, dirtbag by the name of Miles Moses, a private doing time for petty thief. He was part of a ring that was operating both inside and outside of the Marines, and in exchange for leniency, he told Commander Lavery who else was in the ring," Chedwiggen said.

"Commander Lavery screwed him over," Gibbs guessed.

"He did. When the case went to court, Commander Lavery recommended the harshest punishment possible, not even mentioning the deal, and the judge agreed. Lieutenant Commander Jewell, who was Defense, objected loudly, and the commander basically told him to shut up. When the judge found out about the deal, she asked for proof, but the paperwork had mysteriously 'disappeared'. Lieutenant Commander Jewell filed a complaint, and from what I heard, the investigation was still ongoing," Chedwiggen said.

"That, alone, would really do a number to Commander Lavery's reputation," McGee said.

"Do you know if Ami Lavery was having an affair?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that," Chedwiggen said. "And no, it's not 'won't', it's 'can't'. What I can tell you is this; if this divorce had gone to the table, it would have gone through, because I would have made sure of it. Ami just wanted her freedom from this asshole. Don't come after her unless you've got a damn good reason, and you can actually convince me, because I will defend her."

"Understood," Gibbs said. "Thanks." And Chegwidden left, after wishing them good luck on their case.

"Boss, does the name Davey Jones sound familiar?" McGee asked, having just gotten off with the insurance adjuster company that owned the fleet car that was seen at their crime scene.

"It does," Gibbs said.

"That was the name that was in the log book at the hotel," Bishop said.

"According to the log book at the insurance adjuster's motor pool, that was who signed the car out," McGee said. "And get this; the guy said the truck's trailer hitch was dinged up."

"I want a look at that truck," Gibbs said.

"Done, but the guy warned us it had been cleaned recently, so I don't know if we'll get anything useful," McGee said.

"Have Kasie check anyway," Gibbs said.

"Will do. She's going to love us," McGee said.

"And find out where Corporal Lavery is and bring him in," Gibbs said.

"On it," Bishop said, heading for her desk.

Gibbs went to his desk to place a few phone calls of his own, and go through the file Chedwiggen had brought them. Maybe, just maybe, they might be able to find an actual suspect.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The elevator dinged and Gibbs emerged.

"What do we got?" he asked Kasie and Torres.

"My knees have rug burns on their rug burns," Torres groaned as he stood up, wincing as his back complained.

"Ugh," Kasie groaned. "I swear, I am taking a steam cleaner to my carpet when I get home. All the creepy crawly stuff I just found…" She shivered. Gibbs stared at them, waiting impatiently. "Okay, so someone had sex on the carpet, before the murder, and I will be running that," Kasie said. "But it looks like Commander Lavery definitely bleed out here. Based on the blood spray that we found in the room, the final hit was on the floor. I have blood samples galore, which I think will be ninety-nine percent Commander Lavery's."

"And the bedspread?" Gibbs asked.

"The UV light found traces of bodily fluids, which we got. And Palmer told me he sent me some wound impressions from the victim, so hopefully we can determine if that metal knife we found was the actual murder weapon," Kasie said, pointing to the table, where a metal knife had been found, along with a matching spoon and fork. "And we got prints off of those, as well as DNA. Same with the plastic cutlery we found."

"We found the truck the suspect drove," Gibbs said. "It's on it's way in, and the fleet mechanic says it was cleaned recently."

"So no hope of prints?" Torres asked.

"Won't know until you check," Gibbs said. "What about prints from the hotel room?"

"IAFIS hasn't dinged anyone yet, but we did confirm that Commander Lavery was in the room," Kasie said. "Found his prints on the plastic cutlery from Jimmy John's, and the receipt that shows he signed for it," she continued, pointing to various evidence bags.

"How's our suspect list doing?" Torres asked.

"Still too many, but if we can find out who drove the truck, we can narrow it down," Gibbs said.

"What about the wife?" Kasie asked.

"Still a possibility, but we did confirm her alibi around the time of the Commander's death and when he was at the hotel. Over a dozen people saw her, including the gate guards at Fort McNair," Gibbs said.

"She still could have hired someone to take him out," Torres said.

"Except for the fact that Palmer says the stabbing was done in anger," Gibbs said.

"Which could be mistaken for a blitz attack, which wouldn't rule out the wife for hiring the killer," Torres pointed out. "In fact, if I was going to kill someone like the commander, a blitz attack could work, especially if he was comfortable turning his back to me."

"Then why not just shoot him?" Gibbs asked.

"Weapon of opportunity?" Kasie asked. "The knife we found looks like it's part of a lunch cutlery set."

Gibbs picked up the evidence bag and looked at the knife. It looked like a stainless steel table knife with a black plastic handle.

"Hard to believe something so harmless-looking could be a murder weapon," Kasie said.

"I knew someone who once killed someone with a credit card," Gibbs said easily. "If you need help in the lab, yell at McGee or Bishop," he said, heading for the elevator.

"Thank you, and will do," Kasie said.

Upstairs, the current JAG director had a few choice words about Commander Lavery, and he had invited Gibbs and his team over to JAG to talk to his staff.

"According to Bud Roberts, Commander Lavery was this-close to being charged with legal malpractice and possibly attorney misconduct over the Moses case," McGee said, when Gibbs rejoined them. "His wife, Harriet, is still friends with a few people at JAG, and she was quite happy to share some scuttlebutt."

"And?" Gibbs asked.

"And a lot of the junior officers hated him," McGee said. "He was known for making subtle sexual harassment jokes and saying he was just joking, if anyone objected, especially the women, and if anyone complained, he would say that if they couldn't handle the jokes, then they didn't deserve to be there, more so the women."

"Sounds like he didn't think women belonged in the Navy, like his father," Bishop said. "That was what happened; too many complaints of sexual discrimination, and he was forced to retire, or lose his pension."

"Bet Sarah loved that," Gibbs said.

"Oh yeah," Bishop said. "And, again, according to scuttlebutt, Captain Lavery did not go quietly. In fact, there were more than several officers who were glad to see the back of him."

"What about him and Commander Lavery?" Gibbs asked.

"Braggart all the way. Commander Lavery could do no wrong, especially once he started sitting First Chair in court," Bishop said.

"Harriet said there were rumors flying around that Captain Lavery may have had a hand in pushing Commander Lavery faster up the promotion ladder than he should have been," McGee said, "which caused some resentment amongst the officers, but a lot of them felt like they couldn't do anything about it."

"Until someone did," Gibbs said.

"Oh, and Corporal Lavery will be coming in tomorrow, but we've been advised he's on bereavement leave, due to Commander Lavery," McGee said. "And it's a good thing, too, because that number that we saw on Ami's call log, that belongs to Corporal Lavery, and according to the gate guards, three weeks ago, Ami did not leave Fort McNair at the end of the work day. In fact, she didn't leave until the end of the next work day, and she was seen wearing a grey Army shirt that was two sizes too big for her."

"She could have spent the night at his place, on the couch," Bishop offered.

"Except for the hickey mark on her neck," McGee said. "The guard was sure it hadn't been there the day before, and Ami apparently blushed when she saw him looking at it. When he made a comment about workplace accidents, she said that wire lashes were a bitch."

After that, there wasn't much they could do until Kasie finished running her tests and they had a look at the cases Commander Lavery had worked on.

The next day, Kasie had some answers.

"Okay, the prints came back with no hits in IAFIS, other than the commander's," she said, once the team joined her in her lab. "DNA, however, kicked back a familial match to Private Miles Moses, who is currently doing time in Leavenworth for robbery."

"Wasn't that the case where Commander Lavery screwed Private Moses over?" Torres asked.

"It was," McGee said, nodding. "Since we know that Commander Lavery was gay, how many brothers does he have?"

"Three, and no, CODIS hasn't given me anyone," Kasie said.

"Sounds like we need to have a talk with Private Moses," Torres said.

"And Corporal Lavery, who should be in later today," McGee said.

"And the staff at JAG headquarters," Bishop said.

"What about the blood on the carpet?" Gibbs asked.

"All Commander Lavery's," Kasie said. "None of the semen on the bedspread was a match to Commander Lavery, or even had a familial match to Private Moses, but given the fact that there were traces of condom lubricant on Commander Lavery, that doesn't surprise me. Oh, and the knife is a definite match to the stab wounds on Commander Lavery. It's part of a DEVICO Portable Travel Camping cutlery set, and not cheap. Goes for about twelve bucks on Amazon. Oh, and it belonged to the commander, because I found his DNA on the fork."

"And the truck?" Gibbs asked.

"Wiped clean. They use Armor All and Lysol wipes on the interior, and the door handle had no useable prints. Same with the trailer hitch," Kasie said, a scowl on her face. "I spoke to the head fleet manager, and he admitted the insurance adjuster company was nit-picky as hell about the appearance and maintenance of their vehicles. Every single vehicle, every single time."

"So who signed the truck out?" Gibbs asked.

"They sent me a copy of their log book and Davey Jones strikes again," McGee said. "I checked their company listing, and the closest we get is a Donald Jones, but we don't know his relationship to Private Moses, not yet, anyway."

"Find him," Gibbs said.

"Love to, but he's failed to show up for work for the last three days, and he's not answering his phone or his emails," McGee said.

"What does he look like?" Torres asked.

McGee went to Kasie's computer and did some fast typing, pulling up an identification photo the insurance adjuster company had sent him. "Dark hair, just like the guy in the photo Chedwiggen showed us."

"Find him," Gibbs said. "Bishop, you and I are doing interviews at JAG today. Torres, you and Sloane talk to Corporal Lavery, find out what was going on between him and Ami Lavery. Was there anything in Commander Lavery's briefcase?"

"Just a file of blank white paper," Kasie said. "Thick enough to look like an actual casefile, but no case inside. Oh, and pen and legal pad."

"The last time he was seen, his co-workers did say he'd said he had a lunch meeting," Bishop said. "The fake case file could be just that, a fake case file to help with his fake lunch meeting."

"Talk to his co-workers," Gibbs said. His phone rang. "Yeah, Gibbs."

" _It's Sarah Lavery, Agent Gibbs. Ami is as mad as hell and about to file a complaint against NCIS_ ," Sarah said.

"Why?" Gibbs asked.

" _Because someone vandalized her truck during the night, and she's blaming you guys_ ," Sarah said.

"Why us?" Gibbs said.

" _I don't know, but she said it wasn't the first time NCIS had screwed with her or her family, but it was going to be the last_ ," Sarah said. " _I convinced her to let me talk to you, first, as you seem like a reasonable man, but she's madder than a wet hornet._ "

"What's her maiden name?" Gibbs asked.

" _Darvin. I think her mother was Annabelle, and she once mentioned a brother by the name of Liam, if that helps. She never mentioned her father, and I got the impression it was a sore subject,_ " Sarah said.

"All right. Thanks for the heads up," Gibbs said.

" _You're welcome, but Agent Gibbs, did you vandalize Ami's truck?_ " Sarah asked.

"No. I have no reason to, and that's not how I operate."

" _I believe you, but Ami might not. Have a nice day_ ," Sarah said, ending the call.

"Someone vandalized Ami Lavery's truck," Gibbs told his team. "And Ami is blaming us, saying NCIS had messed with her and her family before. Surname Darvin, mother is Annabelle, has a brother by the name of Liam."

McGee started typing fast. "Uh-oh," he said, eyes going wide after a few seconds. "About fifteen years ago, NCIS was investigating Ami's father, Otto, for suspected theft of a nearby Navy base. Nothing was ever proven, but the agent assigned to the case wound up getting suspended for his behaviour towards the family, which included vandalism of the family home and harassment towards Ami and her mother."

"Who was the agent?" Gibbs asked.

"This guy," McGee said, throwing a picture up. "Agent Zander Smith. He was convinced the Darvin family was in possession, or hiding, the stolen Navy vehicle parts, simply because Otto Darvin had been seen in the area around the time of the theft and has a known history of B and E's, and trespassing on government properties, plus he has several DUI's and other charges related to alcohol, including domestic assault against his wife."

"Where is Otto Davin now?" Torres asked.

"Dead. Heart attack six years ago. Brother Liam is currently doing time for petty theft," McGee said.

"And the mother?" Gibbs asked.

"No drivers licence, but her tax returns say she's living in Maryland," McGee said. "Has been for the last ten years."

"And ouch," Bishop said, reading through the casefile. "No wonder she suspects NCIS of harassing her. The stunts Agent Smith supposedly did, makes the phrase 'overzealous' an understatement. He described Otto Darvin as a walking drunk bully, and said Liam wasn't much better. His comments about Ami or Annabelle aren't exactly flattering either. Little better than trailer trash, is how he put it at one point."

"Did he ever find out who stole the equipment?" Gibbs asked, scowling.

"Agent Tami Oberon took over after Agent Smith was suspended, and it turned out the equipment had never been stolen," Bishop said. "It was a clerical error."

Gibbs shook his head in disgust.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Due to the phone call, there was a change in plans. Gibbs and Sloane would go see Ami and take a look at her vandalized truck, and take photos for evidence. Bishop and McGee would deal with JAG, and Torres offered to talk to Corporal Lavery.

When Gibbs and Sloane got to Ami and Commander Lavery's house, they discovered Corporal Lavery was already at his brother's house, dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt, and, in fact, the person stopping a very angry woman from taking a swing at Gibbs when she saw him.

"You sonovabitch!" she yelled, nearly being lifted off her feet by Corporal Lavery's arm around her waist. "You bastards just can't leave me alone, can you! You're all the same! Think that having a gun and a fancy badge makes you God's Gift and you can do whatever the hell you want to dumb shmucks like the rest of us! My family didn't sue you the last time, but this time I'll sue your ass to the same damn grave Michael will be going to!"

"Easy, Am', easy," Corporal Lavery soothed, holding on to Ami. Considering the younger Lavery brother was broadly built, and likely more stronger, where Michael was tall and slim, it was like trying to move a solid concrete brick wall. "I just spoke to A.J. about Agent Gibbs, and he says Agent Gibbs isn't the kind of agent to pull that kind of stunt. Says he knows him, and once he knows someone is innocent, he leaves 'em alone. Agent Gibbs didn't do this."

"Then who the hell did? Maybe one of his other damn agents!" Ami fired back, watching as Slone started taking photos of the vandalized truck, which was sitting on the driveway, in front of the open garage.

"Agent Gibbs?" Corporal Lavery asked, still holding on to Ami firmly.

"I only have three, sometimes four people on my team, and they are not the kind of people who would do something like this," Gibbs said. "Whoever did this, it wasn't us."

 _This_ was black spray paint all over Ami's truck. There were a few graphic words in relation to Ami being female, and her tires had been punctured. It was a nice 1970 Ford F-250 in red and white and, despite the age, had been well-maintained, and Sloane was mentally crying over the damage to such a nice truck.

"Then if it wasn't you, who the hell was it?" Ami demanded. "Why the hell would anyone do something like this? There's no way in hell I can take this to work! And thanks to Michael being behind on the damn mortgage payments, I can't exactly afford to replace the tires right now! Or even figure out how to get rid of the flip-ass spray paint!"

"Considering you were planning to sell the place, that really won't be much of an issue, now will, it, hun?" Corporal Lavery soothed, rubbing her arm gently.

"You're planning on selling?" Gibbs asked. "That's fast."

"Considering you knew how much I hated Michael, are you really surprised?" Ami asked bitterly, slowly calming down, but seeming to hold on to Corporal Lavery's arms for comfort or support. "I hate this place. It was never really mine, and Michael made damn sure I knew it. So why would I want to keep a place I hated?"

Both agents did admit she had a point.

"Did you file a police report?" Sloane asked.

"They came, they saw, they took, they left," Ami said. "One of the officers discovered that the motion sensors on the lights over there (she pointed to the one between the garage and the front door, the front door, and the corner of the house) had been spray painted with black paint. I'm used to the lights going on and off during the night, and didn't think anything of it. Damn things go on if even my neighbour's cat wanders by."

"Okay. And you found your truck this morning, when you came outside?" Sloane asked.

Ami nodded, leaning against Corporal Lavery's chest.

"I know I'm supposed to go see you guys at NCIS today, but since I'm here and you're here, would you mind if we did it here?" Corporal Lavery suggested.

"Sure, but what about your lawyer?" Gibbs asked.

"Chedwiggen is Ami's lawyer," Corporal Lavery said.

"But give me cause to think you're going to cause trouble for him, and that can change," Ami threatened, glaring at them. Corporal Lavery chuckled and kissed her temple.

"That's my Frigga," he said, grinning at her.

Sloane quickly sent Torres a message, letting him know he was off the hook for interviewing Corporal Lavery and, on Gibbs' request, sent him to interview Private Moses. Her phone dinged a moment later, and she grinned.

"What?" Gibbs asked, as they followed the couple inside.

"It seems Ami makes and sells pipe lamps, and there's one Torres knows Bishop was eyeing. He says it's still available, and is asking if we could pick it up if he pays Ami directly."

Gibbs smirked.

Inside, there was an organized chaos, with boxes everywhere. Photos had been taken down from the walls, and several bookcases were being emptied out, the contents put in boxes.

"Sorry about the mess," Ami said. "I'm just going through everything, figuring out what to do with what. Can I get you guys some coffee or tea?"

Both Sloane and Gibbs opted for coffee, and while Ami made it, Gibbs spoke to Corporal Lavery.

"We're sorry for your loss," he said. "What is going on between you and Ami? Both your phones show a lot of texts and calls between each other, especially over the last three months, and we know Ami spent the night at your place three weeks ago."

Corporal Lavery smiled wryly, sitting in on a loveseat placed near the couch, where Sloane and Gibbs were. "What happened is I fell in love with my sister-in-law three months ago, and three weeks ago, we both discovered it was mutual," Corporal Lavery said. "You're right; Ami didn't leave my apartment that night. She also didn't leave my bed, not that she was complaining, other than about the hickey I left on her neck." He smirked at that, causing Sloane to grin in amusement.

Ami came back into the living room, carrying a tray with four cups of coffee, which she distributed among everyone. She smiled at Corporal Lavery when he kissed the hand that handed him his coffee, and the affection between them was clear to see.

"A month after the wedding, I confronted Michael about his infidelity, which I had suspected but couldn't prove," Ami admitted, sitting beside Corporal Lavery. "You saw my temper, and that was one argument I lost. See that dent in the wall over there? Up until recently, a picture had been hiding that damn thing."

"Did he hit you or did he slam you into the wall?" Sloane asked gently.

"I had a hell of a headache afterwards, and trouble swallowing for a day or two," Ami admitted, looking down as painful memories flooded her. She smiled at Corporal Lavery when he took her hand in his, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. "He told me I was little better than trailer trash, and he owned me, which meant he could say and do whatever he wanted, and because he was such a good lawyer, he could kill me and no one would ever find any evidence of wrongdoing on his part. And the worst part was, no one would ever believe me."

"I found out about it over the last three months," Corporal Lavery said. "I've been away, overseas, until three months ago, when I came home. Met Ami at my homecoming party Mom hosted, and I knew right away something was wrong. Yeah, I wanted to beat the hell out of him, but we both knew he held all the cards."

"Until you decided to play dirty and get a divorce," Sloane said.

"Three weeks ago, yeah," Ami said. "I woke up that morning and realized I couldn't do this anymore. I wanted out. I wanted my freedom from Michael and I wanted it now. David showed me how it felt to be loved, and I admit I wanted more. But I couldn't do that if I was still married to Michael. That night, I took my wedding ring off, and I haven't put it back on since." She looked around the living room. "I didn't want anything from Michael. I didn't even want his money. I just wanted my freedom and a written guarantee that he and his father would leave me alone."

"You didn't trust either of them to keep their word," Gibbs guessed.

"Michael was the kind of guy who would shake your hand with one hand, and keep a knife behind his back with the other, and as soon as you turned your back, especially if he decided he didn't like you, he'd put the knife in it," Corporal Lavery said. "He screwed me over a few times on what I thought were honest deals that turned out to not be so honest. That was why I joined the Army; to get as far away from him, and Father, as I could."

"Do you hate him?" Sloane asked.

Corporal Lavery shook his head. "No ma'am. I hate what he's done, and I really don't like him as a person, but no, I don't hate him. I can't be bothered."

"What would have happened if Ami had gotten the divorce?" Gibbs asked.

"I would have moved out. I had worked out a deal with a coworker whose mom had a garage apartment she was renting out, and was willing to take cash. Mac didn't fully know what was going on, but he also knew enough to not ask too many questions," Ami said. "After that, with the exception of David and Sarah, I would have cut ties with the Lavery family and taken back my maiden name." She smiled shyly at Corporal Lavery. "As for David and me, well, you never know."

"And now?" Gibbs asked, watching as Corporal Lavery pressed another kiss against Ami's temple.

"Now, I'm sorting through Michael's stuff, figuring out what to donate, what to send back to the Navy (they already took his laptop), what to sell, and what to give to Sarah," Ami said. "As soon as I can, if Captain Lavery doesn't fight me over this, which I think he will, I'm selling the house. I'll put the money into a savings account, and when I'm ready, I may decide to buy another house, but not right now. I just know I'm not hiding anymore."

"Why do you think Captain Lavery will fight you over the house?" Sloane asked.

"He blames her for Michael's death," Corporal Lavery said. "I got that loud and clear when I spoke to Mom yesterday. And once Father hates someone, there's not a lot anyone can do to change his mind."

"Do you think he'd pull something like what happened to your truck?" Sloane asked.

"I don't know," Ami said.

"With him, who knows? If he's mad enough, maybe. Or maybe he's hiding in his library, doing the grief thing to the max," Corporal Lavery said. "We don't really talk much these days, not since I defied him and joined the enemy." He smirked. "Best thing I ever did."

Before the agents left, with promises to stay in touch, Gibbs had a question for the couple.

"By the way, Frigga?"

Sloane grinned at him. "Viking mythology. Frigga was Odin's wife, and in the Thor movies, she was just as much a fighter as her husband was."

As for Sloane, she was able to quickly buy the floor lamp for Torres, who sent Ami the money through e-transfer, but not before buying one of the desk lamps Ami had available.

"Do I dare even ask?" Gibbs asked, watching as Sloane carefully put both lamps in the car.

"Torres is doing something nice for Bishop, and I'm doing something nice for myself," Sloane said easily. "These are nice lamps."

Before they left, Gibbs gave Ami the name and number of an auto body painter who might be able to help her.

As they drove back to NCIS, they discussed the case.

"Vandalizing Ami's truck like that, that makes no sense," Sloane said. "Either someone saw her with Corporal Lavery, or someone is trying to throw us off the track. Thing is, someone had to have been following her, or knew she drove that particular truck, to know that was her truck. Do you think it could have been Captain Lavery?"

"Spray painting the light motion sensors like that?" Gibbs shook his head. "Captain Lavery is old school. He would have gone after Ami's reputation, or confronted her directly, rather than do something like spray paint a truck and puncture tires."

"If that's the case, the vandalism could be a diversion, keep us running in circles, or it could be a legitimate threat against Ami," Sloane said.

"If that's the case, then we tell Corporal Lavery to keep his gun nearby," Gibbs said.

"Didn't look like he needed an excuse to stay close," Sloane said, grinning.

"What do you make of that?"

"From a psychologist perspective? Or a personal one?"

"Both."

"From a psychologist's perspective, there was genuine affection and caring between those two. Corporal Lavery got Ami to calm down without patronizing her. She went from a raging valkyrie to an angry, possibly scared, woman, in under two minutes. Had we tried to deal with her alone, one of would have likely gotten hurt, and she would have likely been arrested for assaulting a federal agent," Sloane said. "From a personal perspective, they're a cute couple, and I think there is genuine love between them. Also, it's likely if I had ever met Commander Lavery, I would have tried to either punch him through my office door, or shot him."

Gibbs chuckled. "He was an abuser. That dent in the wall? Seen that before."

"So have I," Sloane said. "Which makes me wonder what else he did."

"If he was that way towards Ami, I'm wondering how he was towards his lovers," Gibbs said.

"They were disposable," Sloane said matter-of-factly. "He wouldn't even admit he was gay, and treated Ami like dirt, so why would he treat his lovers any better? They were a means to an end, and so was Ami, who was a pretty pet to be shown off whenever he felt like it, and beaten when she didn't do as she was told. Probably why she started the pipe lamp thing, so she'd have an excuse not to have to be in the same room with him all the time, especially in the evenings."

"Those were some nice lamps," Gibbs admitted.

On an airplane, headed for Leavenworth, Torres smiled as he read the message Sloane had sent him. He couldn't wait to see Bishop's reaction. He just hoped Private Moses would give them some answers, or they were back to square one until they could find Donald 'Davey' Jones, or someone from JAG gave them another suspect.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"He was a jerk."

"He took credit for _my_ work, and made me look like a fool in front of Major General Andrews."

"He thought he was God's Gift to the courtrooms, and he wasn't. He should never have been promoted."

"One of his jokes was about the difference between a blonde and a guy. And no, it wasn't funny. And no, he didn't stop, even when Commander Ash told him to stop."

"There was almost a fist fight between Lieutenant Commander Dawson and Commander Lavery last week, when he called Lieutenant Commander Dawson's client a chink."

"What's the difference between a ginger and a brick? That was one of his favorite jokes. Oh, and the one about redheads and McDonalds. Thanks to him, I stopped eating there. Maybe I will now. Maybe."

"He was an asshole who needed his ass kicked in and out of the courtroom, and I would have been more than happy to do that, if I thought I could get away with it."

"He was Daddy's little angel, and God help us all if we made poor baby Commander Lavey cry."

"I once keyed his car, and he screamed the place down, but no one could ever prove it was me. Felt so good, considering he'd humiliated me earlier that day."

That was just some of the things that were being said about Commander Lavery. In fact, there was a lineup of officers, all with something to say, and most of it wasn't good.

Bishop groaned, feeling a headache forming at the base of her neck.

"I hear ya," McGee said, rubbing his temples. "By all accounts, Commander Lavery was a jerk, both in and out of the courtroom. No one is surprised he's dead."

"And I overheard several of them talking about throwing a party because of it," Bishop said.

"Ouch. Anything about Ami?"

"Just that she seemed nice, and how on earth could anyone have been married to him for that long without trying to kill him?"

"Now we know; she didn't have a choice."

"Eyup."

Someone knocked at the door of the conference room they were using, and both agents looked up. It was Major General Andrews, a dark-skinned man with greying hair, who reminded McGee of Star Trek actor Michael Dorn in his later years.

"Agents, I come bearing real coffee and bakery treats," he said, holding up a box of bakery treats, and two cups of coffee.

"Thanks," McGee said, accepting the coffee, and watching as Bishop dug into the bakery treats like a starving woman, which she probably was.

"Headaches?" Major General Andrews asked, seeing the way Bishop and Andrews were holding their heads.

"Yeah," Bishop said.

"Thought so," Major General Andrews said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small travel-size container of Tylenol. "I always keep some on hand," he said, handing it to them.

"Thanks so much," Bishop said, gratefully. She and McGee both popped two tablets each, and downed them with their coffee.

"I saw the lineup of officers outside. A lot of people had a lot to say about Commander Lavery," Major General Andrews said, sitting down across from them.

"And not a lot of it good," Bishop said.

"Everything from his sexist jokes to racial slurs to taking credit for someone else's work," McGee said.

"Resentment over him being promoted so fast, and so forth and so forth," Bishop said.

"And I'm about to add to your pile," Major General Andrews said. "From a professional standpoint, Commander Lavery was facing serious charges of attorney misconduct and legal malpractice over the Private Moses case. He was being quietly investigated, and I was about to make my recommendation once the investigation was complete. On top of that, there were a number of complaints filed against him that I was getting tired of being swept under the rug. I was beginning to suspect Captain Lavery may have had a hand in those complaints disappearing."

"Which would suggest backroom dealing or the old boy network," McGee said. "My father mentioned something like that a time or two."

"How was Commander Lavery before he disappeared?" Bishop asked.

"Same as always; polite to your face, and a prick behind your back," Major General Andrews said.

"How did he handle his recent evaluation that said he might be passed up for promotion if he didn't change his behaviour?" McGee asked.

"You could hear the yelling up and down the hallway. I had to step in and send him home for the day, even threatening him with insubnorantion and a few other things if he didn't start getting his act together," Major General Andrews said. "Of course, I then got a phone call from Captain Lavery, threatening all kinds of things. I hung up on him after the first two minutes."

"Nice man," Bishop said.

"The thing is, two days ago, I received what I thought was a call from him saying something had come up on one of his cases and he needed to head to Maryland for a few days and would be out of touch for a bit."

"Did you believe him?" Bishop asked.

"No, but since I had no proof otherwise, all I could do was wait. I was very close to filing an AWOL report on him when I found out he'd been murdered."

"Of course. Have you ever met his wife, Ami?" McGee asked.

"Once. No surprise, but she was pushed to the background. I chatted with her for a bit, found out she was a Journeyman Electrician, and wondered why Commander Lavery had failed to mention that. But then again, knowing him, if it wasn't about him, it wasn't worth knowing about. She seemed nice enough, just very quiet."

"Okay, we know your professional opinion of Commander Lavery. Now what was your personal opinion?" Bishop asked.

"That walking joker was an insult to his uniform and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and I would have dearly loved to give him an old fashioned Marine beating, the kind that would have left his pearly white teeth buried in the ground," Major General Andrews said grimly. "He had no business being in JAG, and definitely no business being in the Navy."

"And his father?" McGee asked.

"I'm a Marine. Guess."

"Right. Your foot, his ass, probably a busted door or two on the way to the parking lot," Bishop said.

"Or the nearest bombing range for target practice," McGee said easily.

"You know Marines," Major General Andrews said, nodding in approval.

"We know our boss, who just happens to be a former Marine," McGee said.

"Agent Gibbs, right?" Both agents nodded. "Is it true he's as much a hardass as his reputation says?"

"Only when you mess with his coffee, his people, his case, or you lie to him, or catch him when he's had to take over as temporary NCIS director," McGee said. "Then you have a problem."

"Rumor has it he once put a pen through an inmate's hand," Bishop said. "Of course, he'd just gotten back from being shot and all that, so he was probably a little cranky at the time."

"That's a Marine for you," Major General Andrews said, nodding.

"What do you know about Private Moses? We know he had brothers, but was there anyone he was particularly close to, someone by the name of Donald or Davy Jones?" McGee asked.

Major General Andrews thought for a moment, then nodded. "I do remember seeing someone in the courthouse at the time of Private Moses' sentencing, and they looked like they were talking in earnest."

"Dark hair?" Bishop asked.

Major General Andrews nodded. "Dark hair, fair skin, tall build. Afterwards, I think I saw him slip Commander Lavery a piece of paper or something, but I was too busy listening to Lieutenant Commander Jewell curse up a storm over Commander Lavery's behaviour in court. Suspect?"

"He is, if we can find him," McGee said. "We found DNA that came back as a familial match to Private Moses, and since Commander Lavery screwed him over royally, well, I'm sure you can see where this is going."

"I can. Unfortunately, I can't help you any more than I already have," Major General Andrews said. "I don't know what else to tell you."

"That's okay, sir," McGee said.

"However, if Captain Lavery gives you any grief, please let me know, and I will gladly take my gloves off and bring that pansey excuse of a sailor down a few rivets," Major General Andrews said, standing up and straightening his uniform with a sharp tug.

"Thank you sir, we'll keep that in mind," Bishop said.

Once Major General Andrews left, the two agents looked at each other. "We need to find Davey Jones," McGee said.

"And fast," Bishop said.

"I think we've done enough interviews, don't you?" McGee suggested.

"I do. Let's get out of here."

"Please. I think my ears are about to fall off."

At the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Torres was face to face with Private Miles Moses, who wasn't happy to see him.

"That bastard screwed me over," Private Moses snarled. "He said if I told the prosecution everything I knew, he'd get me a lighter sentence. Instead, I'm here and in danger, because I got ratted out as a rat."

"We understand that, and the case is currently under review," Torres said calmly.

"So who do I sue?"

"I'd suggest the commander, but, ah, he's dead," Torres said.

"Good. So why are you here?"

"Because we have evidence to suggest someone in your family put a bullet through the commander," Torres said, deliberately lying.

"Like you're going to see me crying," Private Moses said sarcastically.

"Probably not, which I can understand, but what about your brothers, or maybe even a cousin? Maybe someone who was mad enough to go after the commander personally," Torres said. "I understand that you got screwed over, and you have every right to be mad. However, your case was going before the courts, and Commander Lavery was under review. If we find out you had anything to do with his murder, it won't look good, and you could find conspiracy to commit murder added to your charges. And that will stick, because unlike Commander Lavery, the officer who prosecutes your case won't be screwing around." Torres watched as Private Moses swallowed hard. "You might get a reduced sentence over the theft issue, but you won't if you're found guilty of the whole conspiracy murder thing."

"I'm not saying another word," Private Moses snarled. "Commander Lavery got what was coming to him."

"Fine. So will you. Maybe the commander was an asshole, and yeah, maybe he did deserve what he got, but that wasn't for you or your family to decide," Torres said, standing up. "And where do you guys get off scaring his wife? She had nothing to do with his behaviour."

"Someone went after his wife?" Private Moses asked, eyes going a bit wide.

"Vandalized her truck pretty good, from what I hear. Scared the hell out of her, probably going to cost her a fortune to get her truck fixed, because that truck is part of her livelyhood. Don't know what you know, but she was as much a victim as you are, more so because she couldn't escape him," Torres said easily. "Have a nice day in your very boring cell. Guard!"

And with that, he walked out. As soon as he was out of earshot of Private Moses, he spoke to the guard and was quickly put in touch with the director of the prison, who met with him in the command center.

"If he calls anyone, we need to know about it," Torres said, showing his badge. "He's not helping himself right now, but he may call one of his brothers, and that could help us find the guy."

The colonel nodded. "See what I can do. Might try and scream violation of privacy, but around here, he doesn't get privacy."

Then one of the guards spoke up. "Sir, it looks like Private Moses is already making a call."

"Patch us through, and record it," the colonel said. "Can you get a number?"

"I can," another guard said, joining the first guard, and typing fast on her computer.

A voice came over the speakers.

" _Davey, it's Miles._ "

" _Hey bro, how you doing?_ "

" _What the hell is going on? I just got a visit from NCIS, saying one of my brothers shot Commander Lavery, and they got evidence_."

" _Bullshit. The bastard wasn't shot, he was stabbed_ ," Davey snapped. " _You were lied to. Get off the damn phone, you idiot. They're probably listening in_."

" _No, not until you tell me the truth. Did you kill Commander Lavery?_ " Private Moses demanded.

" _I took care of the problem. The guy boasted about screwing you over, said losers like you belonged in jail, and if you were stupid enough to trust him, then you got what you deserved_."

" _The agent said my case was under review, and if he finds out I was part of the commander's death, I'm really screwed because I could get nailed for conspiracy to commit murder!_ " Private Moses fired back. " _And I find out you guys are going after his wife? Leave her alone!_ "

" _I'll do what I have to do_ ," Davey fired back. " _Now shut up and get off this damn phone!_ "

And with that, the call ended.

"Got a number," the guard said, writing a series of numbers down.

Torres pulled out his phone and quickly dialed McGee. "Please tell me you're near your computer," he said.

" _I am. Just got back from interviews at JAG, and I still have a heck of a headache,_ " McGee said.

"I have something that will make that headache go away; a number. Private Moses just called Davey from the prison and we got a confession and a number."

" _Give_." Torres rattled off the number, and he could hear McGee typing fast. " _How fast can you get back here? We got a hit._ "

"I'm three hours out," Torres admitted. "Next flight isn't for about two hours."

"If you need to, I can probably pull a favour," the colonel offered. "Get you back to Washington in about two and a half hours."

"Done. And thank you."

"Get the guy. I won't see him here, but I look forward to seeing him at the DB," the colonel said, shaking his hand.

"We'll let you know," Torres promised.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Boss, we got him," McGee said as Gibbs and Sloane came back into the bullpen. "Private Moses called Davey Jones on the prison phone and they got a number, which I just ran."

"You got him," Sloane said.

"By his tighty-whities," McGee said. "I'm running his phone number now and he called or texted Commander Lavery's phone several times. I can ping him, but I need a warrant."

"Do it," Director Vance said, joining them. "I'll get you your warrant. How's Ami Lavery?" he asked Gibbs. He was uptodate on the case and had been advised of the current situation regarding Ami's truck.

"Scared," Sloane said. "But she's got Corporal Lavery and Sarah Lavery for support."

"Good. Be warned, Dani has been fielding phone calls from Captain Lavery for the last two days," Vance said.

"He causing problems?" Gibbs asked.

"If you call constantly demanding an update on his son's murder case a problem, then yeah, he has been," Vance said, scowling.

"It's going to get worse when he finds out the truth about Commander Lavery," Sloane warned him.

"Major General Andrews offered us his services if Captain Lavery gets out of hand," Bishop said.

"Might need him," Gibbs said.

"Got him," McGee said, throwing up a map on the plasma. "Looks like he's at home. Might be trying to make a run for it."

"Get him," Vance said.

And four agents tore out the building.

As they drove to the address in two separate vehicles in case Donald decided to run, McGee kept a close eye on the cell phone in case Jones moved.

"He's on the move," McGee said. He winced as Gibbs increased the speed.

"Where?" McGee told him.

"Uh-oh."

"What uh-oh? McGee!"

"This route takes us straight to Fort McNair," McGee said.

"Where are Ami and Corporal Lavery?" Gibbs demanded.

"Finding out. Ami, it's Agent McGee. Where are you?"

" _I had to visit my boss, and he's at the job site at Fort McNair, and David needed a few things from his apartment,_ " Ami said. " _Why? What's going on?_ "

"Davey Jones, the guy we think killed Commander Lavery, is headed straight for Fort McNair and Gibbs doesn't believe in coincidences," McGee said.

" _Neither do I. What does this guy look like? And should David get his gun out?_ " Ami asked.

"We need this guy in one piece," McGee said. "Not up to his neck in the ground."

Ami grunted. " _Don't bet on it, especially if half my guys get their hands on him. Picture. I'll pass it around_." And she ended the call.

McGee quickly sent Ami a copy of the picture they had of Donald Jones, and she replied with a confirmation.

"Vehicle?" Gibbs asked.

"He owns a black 2015 Chevrolet Malibu," McGee said, having checked earlier.

At the gate, the guard remembered Donald Jones and his car. "Said he was here to check some buildings and showed his insurance adjuster badge," the guard said.

"Where's the site?" Gibbs snapped. The guard pointed in the general direction, and Gibbs sped off, Sloane and Bishop right behind them.

Several minutes ago, Ami's face had been going bright red. She had entered the construction site lunch room to talk to one of the guys, a fellow Journeyman, and was now being stared at by several of the guys. That day, on Corporal Lavery's encouragement, she had gotten a bit dressed up, with a white lace and velvet leotard, slim jeans, dress boots, and her favorite denim and sherpa jacket. She had even worn her hair, which was shoulder-length, down, her favorite pair of Minnie Mouse cubic zirconia earrings, and make-up. Then she had gotten the call from McGee about Davey Jones.

Finally, one of the younger guys, a fellow just out of high school, that she had been working with for the last six months, piped up.

"Ami's a girl!"

Ami's face went red, and Corporal Lavery grinned. He grinned even wider when two older men, both in their late sixties, both with years of experience between them, head-smacked the younger man, causing him to nearly do a face-plant into his lunch.

"Of course she is, you moron!" one of the men snapped.

"You've worked with her for the last six months!" the other man snapped.

"Yeah, but she always looks like one of us, not, well, pretty!" the younger man protested, his ears going red.

Ami groaned, rubbing the side of her face with one hand. "Help me," she moaned softly, causing Corporal Lavery to laugh. "When you're done?" she said loudly, getting their attention. "NCIS is on their way in, and they say a guy by the name of Davey Jones is looking for me. This is his picture." She handed one guy her phone and they started passing it around.

"What's so special about him?" one guy asked.

"He murdered Michael before I could have the satisfaction of divorcing the bastard," Ami said, "and he vandalized my truck. It's in the paint shop right now because he was a little liberal with the black spray paint. Oh, and NCIS has some concerns he may try and do something stupid."

"You were going to divorce that asshat husband of yours?" one guy asked. "About damn time, woman!" Several cheers followed that, as Michael had not been popular with the men the last time he'd visited one of their construction sites. In fact, Shane, their Master Electrician, had called Michael a pompous ass in a fancy suit and threatened to introduce him to a concrete bath if he ever set foot on one of their sites again.

Ami's face went red again. "Oh, and NCIS wants him alive, preferably not buried up to his neck in the ground. I told the senior agent, Agent Gibbs, not to bet on it." There were several whoops of laughter over that.

"Hey Mace, where's that sledgehammer of yours? You know, the one that nearly broke Private Wannabe's toes when he tried to lift it?" one guy called.

Mace, a black man who stood over six feet tall and was as wide as he was tall, solid muscle, bald, and had his fair share of construction scars, said, "She's in my truck. I'll go get her."

"Should I be worried?" Corporal Lavery asked Ami softly.

"Only if you drop Mace's lady on your foot and you're not wearing steel toes," Ami said just as softly. "She's a thirty pound, custom-made, sledgehammer, and Mace can swing her around like a feather. Some donkey private tried to take her from Mace one day, saying it was a weapon, yada yada yada, and wound up in the infirmary because he dropped it on his foot. Mace hadn't bothered tell him that his lady was heavier than she looked."

Corporal Lavery chortled.

Gibbs slid the car into a spot in front of the portable construction office and got out. "Where is she?" he demanded to McGee, seeing Davey Jones' car.

"Calling her now. Never mind," McGee said, seeing Ami and another coworker walking together. Then the team noticed something; Ami was signing rapidly with the coworker, a man with long black hair in a ponytail, under a battered yellow hard hat.

"She's fluent," Gibbs said, watching them. He whistled sharply, getting her attention, and quickly signed something. She signed back, and he signed something, to which she replied, shaking her head.

"I asked her where Corporal Lavery was, and she said he's checking in with his CO but is aware of the situation and is letting his coworkers know," Gibbs said. "So far there's no sign of him, but that's his car."

"Could have changed his appearance," Bishop said.

Then a yell went up, and as the team watched in amazement, a blonde man was seen running through the construction site, several very angry workers hot on his heels. The man Ami had been signing with pulled her out of the way.

"Get him!" someone yelled.

Gibbs winced as Donald was slammed into the ground with enough force to give the guy whiplash. Then four other men joined in on the fight.

"We need him alive!" Gibbs yelled.

"You said alive, you didn't say not bloodied!" one of the other men shot back, hauling up a bloodied Donald Jones. "That's what you get for messing with one of ours!"

"Help me," Donald begged Gibbs and McGee.

"Or you could always walk away for a few minutes and we soften this sorry excuse up," another guy said, cracking his knuckles, causing Donald to whimper. "Teach him not to mess with one of our own."

Gibbs grinned. "Tell you what; we take him in, chat with him, and if he doesn't cooperate, I'll let you guys have a crack at him."

"Deal!" the first man yelled, followed by several whoops.

In the end, Corporal Lavery was seen giving Ami a very public kiss, and Ami admitted to Gibbs she had told her guys the truth about what had happened and what was going on. There had been nothing but support and compassion from them.

At NCIS, Donald Jones turned silent and sullen, invoking his right to remain silent. His scuffle with the construction workers had given him a split lip, cut cheek, and black eye. A search of his car had turned up a photograph of Ami, likely taken at a JAG officer outing, because she didn't look happy in it. A search of Donald Jones had turned up a switchblade, which was illegal in D.C. and would have caused a lot of problems if he'd managed to get his hands on it during the fight.

He'd also refused to give a DNA sample, or even allow his fingerprints to be taken. He didn't even ask for a lawyer or something to drink or anything to take care of his injuries. He just sat there, in the interrogation room, not even moving once he was seated.

"Nothing," Gibbs said. "No protest, no explanation, nothing, other than refusal to submit a DNA sample or even his fingerprints."

"Not even a request for a lawyer?" Vance asked. They were behind the two-way mirror, watching Donald Jones.

"Nothing," Sloane said.

"Kasie is going over his car and already had several fingerprints by the time I left," Gibbs said. His phone rang. It was Kasie, and she sounded very pleased with herself.

"He had a used coffee cup in the car," she said happily. "And we found a receipt for it, about a day ago. Guy's a slob, because we had our pick of used coffee cups and soda bottles and water bottles in the car. And I'm running it as fast as I can. Oh, and plenty of prints."

"Good," Gibbs said. He hung up. "Guy's a slob. Kasie found plenty of stuff in his car with DNA all over it."

"Prints?"

"Plenty."

"We've got him for the knife and the confession," Vance said. "That's enough to hold him for a while, long enough for Kasie to do her stuff. Maybe a little time in a jail cell will help loosen his lips."

The next morning brought more answers, as Kasie finished her work in her lab.

"We have matches across the board," she said to the gathered team. "DNA is a match to what we found in the hotel room, same with prints, which we got when Donald Lavery was booked for the switchblade charge. McGee checked his computer history and found a search for Ami Lavery's address."

"How'd he get her address in the first place?" Gibbs asked.

"Probably off of Commander Lavery's driver's license," Kasie said.

The night before, after arresting Donald Lavery, Bishop, McGee, and Sloane had hit his house and come back with a few interesting things, like a copy of Private Moses' casefile.

"I'd love to know how he got his hands on this," Bishop said, holding the file up now, which was in an evidence bag and had been dusted for prints.

"Well, I got several prints off of the file, one of which is Commander Lavery's," Kasie said. "I also found Donald Lavery's prints, and four other sets of prints, all from JAG officers." She threw them up on the screen.

"Any relation to our Davey Jones?" Torres asked. His ribs had nearly been cracked by the hug Bishop had given him earlier, when she'd discovered what he'd done.

"Not seeing anything yet, but it is fair to say Donald Jones may have had an inside man at JAG, because there were several calls to the switchboard there, on his phone in the days before and after Private Moses' case," McGee said.

"Turn it over to Major General Andrews," Gibbs said. "This guy is ours."

"How's Captain Lavery doing?" Sloane asked.

"Vance said he got a, quote, very loud phone call from Captain Lavery that he let go to voicemail," Gibbs said.

"That good, huh?" Torres asked, grinning.

"That good," Gibbs said. "I want a confession from Donald Jones."

During the night, Gibbs had gotten a frantic call from Sarah.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 _Several hours earlier:_

" _The damned fool is drunk and not listening to reason anymore! He just told me he was going to confront Ami and get a confession out of her, one way or another!_ " Sarah said. " _And Ami's not answering her phone! And I just checked his study, and his gun is missing! It's an old revolver type gun, hasn't been used in years, and I'm terrified about what he might do!_ "

"I'm on my way," Gibbs said, tearing out of his house. His next calls had been to the rest of his team, who all swore they'd be at Ami's house as fast as possible.

When Gibbs got there, there was a car in the driveway he didn't recognize, but suspected it was Captain Lavery's. As he got out of his car, he was quickly joined by the rest of the team in their respective vehicles, and Gibbs was sure there were going to be a few speeding tickets mailed out in the near future.

The living room window curtains were open slightly, and the federal agents went low. Gibbs carefully peeked inside and saw something that had his blood running cold. It was Ami, clearly scared, facing off against a yelling Captain Lavery, who was waving around a black revolver, his face red with anger.

"You killed my son!" Captain Lavery yelled, waving the gun. "He was a good boy and you killed him!"

"I didn't kill him, you crazy old fart!" Ami shot back. "His own arrogance did that! He screwed someone over who didn't deserve to be screwed over, and someone finally did something about it! But it wasn't me!"

"It was you! And once I get those idiots at NCIS to listen to me, they'll see that I was right, that Michael was perfect and you're just a lying slut!" Captain Lavery shouted.

"If you're so smart, why did I kill him?" Ami demanded, seeing the NCIS agents in the window. She nodded sharply when she saw Gibbs' hand move.

"For the house, for his money, why else!" Captain Lavery shot back. "He should have never married you! You're not a proper wife! You're not respecting of him!"

"He only married me to keep you happy! There were only two people that bastard ever loved, and I sure as hell wasn't one of them!" Ami fired back.

"He loved you!" Captain Lavery shouted. "He was a good boy!"

"He was gay, you arrogant jackass! And he was an abuser, a narcissist, and a compulsive liar, and I hope he rots in Hell, and I hope you join him, because if anybody put him in that grave, it was you!" Ami yelled.

"Nooo!" Captain Lavery shouted, waving the gun around again.

"Boss, if he starts shooting, with the way he's going, someone is really going to get hurt," Torres said.

"The house isn't that big inside and there's not a lot of cover," Sloane said, having been alerted by Bishop through a chain call, "especially if the shooting starts."

"We need to get Ami out of there," Bishop said.

"I can do that," said Corporal Lavery. He had appeared so quietly they hadn't even really noticed. "Mom called, said Father was going off his rocker and threatening Ami." Gibbs nodded. "Can you tell Ami to get ready? We may need a distraction."

"Go," Gibbs said. "Bishop, go with him." He watched as Corporal Lavery and Bishop went low and snuck around to the back of the house. A few seconds later, his cell phone rang. "Yeah Gibbs."

" _I'm in_."

Gibbs snapped his phone shut and quickly signed to Ami that she needed to throw something in three seconds, and that Corporal Lavery was at the back, waiting for her. She nodded and reached for what looked like a coffee mug, tucking it behind her back.

"Torres, hammer that door. We need to create enough of a distraction for Lavery to get Ami out of there," Gibbs said, holding up his hand.

Torres moved to the front door, and on Gibbs' signal, banged on the door loudly. Then Ami threw the coffee mug at Captain Lavery as hard as she could, catching the old man in the shoulder, before taking off running to the back of the house. Moments later, the team heard Captain Lavery shouting, Ami and Corporal Lavery came running around the side of the house.

"He's out of his Goddamn mind!" Ami snarled, the couple ducking behind the cars.

"Mom says he's pretty drunk," Corporal Lavery said, watching as his father charged out of the house, yelling for Ami, ignoring Bishop's yell to put the gun down.

"Stop right there, Captain!" Gibbs yelled. "Federal agents! Put the gun down!"

Captain Lavery froze when he saw the weapons aimed at him. Breathing hard, he slowed down. "That bitch killed my son! She killed my son and no one will believe me!"

"That doesn't matter, sir. You need to put the gun down before someone gets hurt!" Gibbs said. "You're already looking at some pretty serious charges with regards to the weapon, don't make it worse! Put the gun down!"

"Put the gun down, and then you can tell us why you think Ami killed Commander Lavery," Sloane coaxed. "But we can't talk to you with you waving your gun around; it's not safe for anyone."

"You fools won't listen to me!" Captain Lavery snapped. "He was a good man, a fine son, and she's telling lies about him!"

"Then why don't you tell us the truth?" Sloane suggested gently. "Put the gun down and talk to us. Tell us what he was like. We're always willing to listen, but we can't do that if our safety is an issue."

"Y'know, with the way she's talking, she could convince a nun to take off her panties," Corporal Lavery said softly to Ami, causing her to giggle, as scared as she was. "He's off his damn rocker."

"And here comes Sarah," Ami said, seeing another car pull up. "This is not going to end well."

"Maybe, maybe not. Think Mom's finally had enough," Corporal Lavery said, watching his mother get out of the car and storm towards her husband.

"Should we be worried?" Ami asked.

Corporal Lavery grinned. "Nah. I recognize that look on her face. Last time I saw it, she tore a strip off Michael because he came home drunk one night and crashed the car into the garage door. He was sixteen, and boy was she mad."

As Gibbs and team stared in shock, the dainty captain's wife charged forward, ignoring the guns, and batted the one out of her husband's wife, before slapping him hard enough to send him around, causing the agents to drop their jaws in shock.

"You stubborn old fool!" she yelled. "For years I have stood by silently and watched you put Michael on a pedestal all the while ignoring David! I listened to you put down good women who had every right to serve our country alongside our men, to pick up a trade that doesn't involve spreading our legs or looking pretty, and I said nothing! And now you're threatening an innocent woman who's only mistake was loving the wrong brother! No more! Now, you put that blasted gun down and you do as you're told, or, so help me, Charles, I will blister both your ears and tan your selfish hide by the time I'm through with you!"

Captain Lavery stared at her, eyes wide, and then grunted as Torres quickly grabbed the gun, passed it off to McGee, and yanked his hands behind his back. "Hey! Get your hands off me!" he protested. "You can't arrest me!"

"They can, and they will!" Sarah fired back. "Maybe some time in a jail cell will cool your heels, and your head!"

"Woman-" Captain Lavery snarled, but Sarah cut him off.

"Oh do shut up," Sarah snapped. "Is he covered?"

"More than," Gibbs said. "Nicely done, ma'am. Not something I would have recommended, but nicely done." He saw Corporal Lavery and Ami emerging from the safety of the cars. "You two okay?" he asked.

"We're good. He was more bluster and blowing than anything else," Ami admitted.

"And stupid," McGee said, checking the gun over. "Not even loaded." He held up his badge as several local police cars pulled up, lights flashing and sirens going.

"I just wanted to scare her, to get her to admit she killed my son," Captain Lavery snapped. "None of you fools will listen to me about her!"

Ami got right in his face. "Your _son_ is dead because of _you._ You made him think he could do no wrong, that showing compassion and respect for others lesser than him was weak. That being human and making mistakes was weak. _You_ are the reason he's dead. The killer may have put the knife in his back, but _you_ , and _you alone_ , are the reason the knife was put there in the first place!"

And with that, she stormed off towards the garage.

"He was my son!" Captain Lavery yelled at her back.

Corporal Lavery got in his father's face, eyes dark with anger. "So. Was. I. And you lost both of us." And with that, he went to join Ami.

"Oof," McGee said, rejoining them, two officers in tow. The situation had been explained and neither officer looked impressed.

"Make that three of us," Sarah said softly. "Because I am done with you. This latest stunt of yours is the last straw, Charles. I'm packing a bag when I get home, and I'm going to go stay with some friends for a while. You can stay in that house of yours, with your memories and your grief, but I still have a son who needs me, and I'll be damned if I'm going to throw him away the way you did."

"You can't leave me! I won't allow it!" Captain Lavery shouted, watching his wife walk towards the garage to talk to her son and daughter-in-law.

"Think she just did," Bishop said, as two other officers and Torres put the swearing captain in the back of one of the cruisers.

"Hi guys. If you check, I think we have an unregistered weapon here, plus trespassing, being drunk in public, DUI, and disturbing the peace," Sloane said.

"Agent McGee said he was waving the weapon around and preventing Mrs. Lavery from leaving the house, so we can add forcible confinement to that," one officer said.

"Think you can keep him busy for a while, long enough for his wife to pack her bags and leave him?" Gibbs asked.

"Happily," the second officer said.

"And if he demands a lawyer, which he will, make sure it's a court-assigned one, not a JAG one, because technically he's a civilian," Bishop advised.

"Gotcha," the first officer said. "She might want to get a restraining order against him."

"We'll make sure of it," Sloane said.

"What set him off?" the second officer asked.

"His oldest son was murdered, and he refused to believe that he was less than perfect. Blamed Ami for his death, even though our investigation said she had nothing to do with it," Gibbs said. "She was as much a victim as Commander Lavery's victims, except she couldn't escape him."

"Well, hopefully things work out for her," the first officer said.

Back at NCIS, Vance's eyebrows shot up when Gibbs told him what happened. "What is Ami going to do?"

"She's agreed to the restraining order, and it's likely Captain Lavery will spend the night in jail until he can be arranged on bail. Might do him some good," Gibbs said.

 _Present:_

"We're not going to get one," Sloane said.

"Why not?" McGee asked.

"Because he knows he has nothing to gain from confessing, and the more he plays the silent game, the more he thinks we have to work at it," Sloane said. "Whoever prosecutes this case is going to have their hands full with him, unless we can give them solid evidence of his guilt."

"That I think we can do," Kasie said. "Beside the prints and DNA, I was able to get into the truck's GPS and found out he had been at the hotel that Commander Lavery was murdered at. And several other times, all times that match up with calls Commander Lavery received from his cellphone. Oh, and the slam-the-door-and-throw-away-the-key part? His DNA matched saliva I found on Commander Lavery's penis and testicles. His clothing preserved it from the water. It also matches the skin scrapings Palmer found under his nails."

"Do we have anything to say that it was Donald Jones in the truck that towed Commander Lavery's car?" Sloane asked.

"We do," Kasie said. "I swabbed the tow rope that I found in the back of the truck. The fleet boss said it was standard equipment for those trucks, in case of emergency. Donald Jones' epidurals were all over the tow rope, and according to the logs, that was the first time he'd used that particular truck." She smiled widely. "Have fun explaining that in court."

Gibbs smirked. "We got him."

A few days later, Gibbs got a call from Major General Andrews.

" _Took a bit of work, but I'm pleased to say we found out who Donald Jones' contact was_ ," Major General Andrews said. " _It was a Petty Officer who had been on the receiving end of one of Commander Lavery's insults once too often. He's being disciplined accordingly, but may get off light due to extenuating circumstances_."

"He was being bullied and this was his chance for revenge," Gibbs guessed.

" _That's what he said. Seems his complaints against Commander Lavery got swept under the rug once too often_ ," Major General Andrews said. " _As for Private Moses, due to the allegations against Commander Lavery's conduct in court, his sentence was reduced. Donald Jones, however, from what I hear, is facing serious time. Have you heard from Captain Lavery's family?_ "

"I have, and it was a very quiet funeral," Gibbs said.

In fact, a total of five people had attended the funeral for Commander Lavery, not including the honor guard. Ami and Corporal Lavery had attended, but it had been in support of Sarah, who had made it very plain she was separating from Captain Lavery, who was out on bail for his behaviour. The house was on the market, Commander Lavery's very nice car had been repossessed due to payment failure, and Ami had moved out. Her truck had been fixed, she had changed her surname, was currently living in a garage apartment near Fort McNair, and officially dating Corporal Lavery. That diamond Minnie Mouse pendant? Turned out it had been him that had given it to her for her birthday, along with some Minnie Mouse cupcakes and a really nice card, whereas Michael had given Ami a dozen roses, even though he had known she was allergic to them.

" _I'm not surprised. From what I heard, despite what Captain Lavery tried to say, Commander Lavery was not as popular as he liked to believe. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see a lot less of the captain at certain functions._ "

"His bragging right is gone, and the truth is out," Gibbs said. "Not a lot of bragging rights in finding out his rising star was a falling rock."

" _Amen to that_ ," Major General Andrews said. " _Let's just hope this sorry chapter is closed now_."

"I hear ya."

Two days nights later:

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Gibbs grumbled, heading downstairs to his door. Someone was banging loudly and insistently, and it was nearly two in the morning.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Gibbs grumped, as someone banged the door again. The second he unlocked his door was the second a walking tornado with bright pink hair blew in.

"Hi, I'm Sky, and Abby says 'Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, you gotta keep her safe! She's a really good friend and fantastic with animals and call me as soon you can!' Oh, and that's Artemis, and she really needs to feed her babies, and I really need to feed Brubba," the woman said, a large German Shepherd dog following her. She quickly locked the door, took off the baby sling she was carrying, which had strange whimpering and whining noises coming from it, and went into the living room.

Gibbs stared at her in confusion. "What the hell is going on?"

The End.


End file.
